Senate Panel to Vote on Fauci Contempt Resolution

Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson reports that a Senate panel plans to vote on a resolution to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in contempt of Congress. This follows a contentious COVID-19 hearing where Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than one hundred times.

It has been confirmed by Fox News Digital that a key Senate investigative panel obtained Dr. Fauci’s cellphone from the pandemic period. This phone, transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is now with the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin. A spokesperson indicated the subcommittee received a copy of Fauci’s iPhone used during his tenure at HHS. The level of access the panel has to the phone remains uncertain.

Last week, the committee acquired over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary from HHS, just ahead of a significant hearing. The hearing was scheduled for Thursday morning, initiated after Fauci was subpoenaed by Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky. The testimony focused on Fauci’s alleged role in funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, where the COVID-19 virus is believed to have originated.

A source close to Senator Paul’s office affirmed to Fox News Digital that they also possess the cellphone. The previous week’s testimony was intended to be a decisive confrontation between Fauci and Paul, who accused Fauci of misleading Congress and demanded he face imprisonment for his actions during the pandemic. However, this confrontation did not unfold as expected.

At the hearing, on the advice of his lawyers, Fauci chose to plead the Fifth Amendment, expressing concerns over potential self-incrimination. He stated, “Although I have great respect for the legislative branch and a long history of cooperation, I will invoke my Fifth Amendment rights to refrain from answering further questions.” Fauci made this choice because he felt the panel aimed to entrap him.

Republican panel members pressed Fauci on his involvement in an alleged lab leak and other matters. In contrast, Democrats argued that Fauci was justified in using his constitutional rights due to the panel’s perceived intent to entrap him. Senator Paul promised consequences for Fauci’s refusal to answer questions and raised doubts about whether a pardon from former President Joe Biden could shield him. Paul stated, “There’s a legal question regarding the extent of a presidential pardon’s immunity.” Fox News Digital is still awaiting comments from HHS about Fauci’s cellphone.

The developments mark a pivotal moment in Congressional oversight of pandemic-era decisions and actions concerning Dr. Fauci.